Removable dental appliances have been in widespread usage by people for many years. Among such appliances were partial dentures, full dentures, bridges and orthodontic appliances such as retainers, bite plates and similar devices.
It has been found that people who have worn removable dental appliances often desired to temporarily remove the appliance from the oral cavity due to discomfort or due to a regimen of limited duration prescribed usage or for the purpose of sleeping.
While one customarily envisioned dental plates carried in a drinking glass on a night stand and submerged in water, this traditional storage mode was not necessarily the most advantageous for use with other dental appliances such as orthodontic devices and was clearly not suitable for situations where an ambulatory individual desired to temporarily remove an appliance when not at home. In such instances, the primary objectives were to obtain a suitable storage medium, avoid embarassment, and protect the appliance from damage.
One suggested container for dentures was illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 2,620,919 wherein a hard shell spherical container included an outer case having a pair of hinged hemispherical lids. Each lid carried a sponge rubber insert which included a contoured cavity for receiving a dental plate.
This device did not gain widespread acceptance and it is doubtful whether it ever was commercialized. A primary disadvantage of the device was that it was relatively large and bulky and not susceptible to inconspicuous placement in a person's pocket. Further, because of the hard spherical exterior it was necessary to contour the sponge rubber to provide the cavity for receiving the denture and a protective flap to extend over the denture.
It would further appear that the device which included a recessed mechanical hinge and latch for securing the half spherical exterior portions, as well as the particular contoured configuration of the sponge inset, entailed significant manufacturing costs in both components and labor. Further, the use of metal components, e.g. hinge pins, latches, etc., created a potential for rusting and rendered the container difficult to keep clean.